AFL1501 Language through an African Lens Assignment 4

AFL1501 Language through an African Lens Assignment 4 2 LJC Dunn AFL1501 Assignment 4 - TABLE OF CONTENTS TASK 1 The definition of culture ...................................................................................................... 3 Why I consider myself as a cultural being? ……………………………………………………………………… 4 The new world and its people vs. the history of different cultures …………………………………. 5 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5 References ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5 TASK 2 Me in my cultural outfit ....................................................................................................... 6 Discussion of this specific cultural outfit? …………………………………………….………………………… 6 The representation of a culture and significance of my outfit ………………….………………….…. 7 Conclusion (Would I wear this daily?) …………………………………………………………………………… 8 References ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8 TASK 3 Cultural Ceremony and celebration (Christening of a child) .............................................. 9 The significance of a Christening in the South African culture ………………….…………..……… 10 Who I am and how I fit in my culture and social group ……….………………….…………………… 10 My personal reflection on the Christening Ceremony ...……….………………….……………….…. 11 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 12  What activates cultural/traditional/social grouping?  Why do we have these gatherings?  What is the relationship between language, tradition/culture or social grouping?  What is the impact of digital media (mobile phones, computers, internet, social media, etc) on cultural/traditional or social practices?  Does culture/tradition or social grouping evolve over time? References …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..13 3 LJC Dunn AFL1501 Assignment 4 - TASK 1 The definition of Culture Perhaps defining a term culture is not as easy as one should think. Culture is not just one specific term, but rather a combination of characteristics, knowledge and customs of a particular group of people. Furthermore, a culture includes language, religion, choice and preparation of a type of cuisine as well as artistic skill, preferences and music. In short culture as a whole is basically a description of who we are and where we come from. According to the Centre for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA), from the University of Minnesota, culture can be defined as “shared patterns of behaviours and interactions, cognitive constructs and understanding that are learned by socialization”. I share this view. It would be easy to think that a person is just born into a culture and the rules and practices of his or her culture is naturally imprinted in the persons, DNA, but it is not possible at all. This module as well as my interactions with fellow students taught me that your culture is something that you inherit from your ancestors, but can just as easily be forgotten if your parents don’t follow the customs. You won’t suddenly wake up one day and be a Zulu, you have to learn to be a Zulu first. The word “culture” derives from the Latin word “colere”, which means to cultivate and nurture. According to Dr Cristina De Rossi,